5 ms·

Google Maps API gets usage limits

18 points by jcampbell1 15y ago

Harkins 15y ago
Ouch. The pricing for >25k/day maps is "contact sales".
- jammus 15y ago
  More detailed pricing information is available here: http://code.google.com/apis/maps/faq.html#tos_pricing http://code.google.com/apis/maps/faq.html#tos_pricing
  - Harkins 15y ago
    Awesome, thanks. I looked all over that Premium site and didn't see it.
skeletonjelly 15y ago
Could somebody explain this more simply? As I understand it, the site had no usage quota, it was the end user (ultimately the browser making the map API request). The end user had a limit but as this was in the hundreds or thousands (can't recall) it was not real concern for your average end user. Is this what's changing? The site is now accountable for request quota?
- intev 15y ago
  My understanding is that the site was always responsible for the usage quota. The calls made (even on the client side) technically is made by the website, so the limit applies to the website. If requests come from the end user and not the site (as you mention), very few people would hit that limit and it would not be a concern.
- jcampbell1 15y ago
  That is correct. It used to be unlimited, with requests rate limited per IP/visitor to prevent abuse. It will now be 25,000 free loads per day per site, and $4 per 1000 loads after that.
gregsadetsky 15y ago
Weird. Is Google "really" interested in (aggressively) monetizing their mapping API (like MSFT, that has each department responsible for their own profitability)? Or, is this a longer term business strategy? Put up public pricing that allows them to go back to partners and say "here's the new price -- yes it's high, but it's the same for everyone"?
- bradleyland 15y ago
  I'd say it's not so much a play to monetize their mapping API so much as it is a way to not have everyone in the world sitting on their shoulders for free. Free is the operative word there. Free is a funny thing. It creates artificial demand. I'll give an example. I used to do independent consulting, and in the course of consulting, recommended Google Apps for email hosting, even if the client wasn't going to use Google Docs or any of the other Google Apps services. It was the best free option for email hosting around. But the fact that it was free created some problems. Most of the clients I transitioned did so at a time when mail hosts put limits on the number of mailboxes you could set up. A strange concept in today's world, but that was the status quo at the time. Clients would provide mailboxes for users and for general purpose correspondence, but they were reasonable. Once they figured out that mailboxes were free and unlimited on Google Apps (once upon a time), they'd go crazy. Soon, mailbox counts ballooned to 50 or 100 mailboxes for organizations with 15 users or less. By making their APIs free, Google creates artificial demand, which raises their costs. It's wise to implement reasonable limits.
  - gregsadetsky 15y ago
    Good point regarding artificial demand. My surprise at the announcement has also partly/mostly to do with the actual pricing, which kicks in pretty fast (25k free map loads daily). It seems like a lot of small-to-medium, non-profit sites would fit into that. One example amongst many, many others: http://www.housingmaps.com/ http://www.housingmaps.com/
gregsadetsky 15y ago
Other discussions on HN: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3163509 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3163509 and http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3162352 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3162352

18 points by jcampbell1 15y ago

Harkins 15y ago

Ouch. The pricing for >25k/day maps is "contact sales".

jammus 15y ago
More detailed pricing information is available here: http://code.google.com/apis/maps/faq.html#tos_pricing http://code.google.com/apis/maps/faq.html#tos_pricing
- Harkins 15y ago
  Awesome, thanks. I looked all over that Premium site and didn't see it.

skeletonjelly 15y ago

Could somebody explain this more simply? As I understand it, the site had no usage quota, it was the end user (ultimately the browser making the map API request). The end user had a limit but as this was in the hundreds or thousands (can't recall) it was not real concern for your average end user. Is this what's changing? The site is now accountable for request quota?

intev 15y ago
My understanding is that the site was always responsible for the usage quota. The calls made (even on the client side) technically is made by the website, so the limit applies to the website. If requests come from the end user and not the site (as you mention), very few people would hit that limit and it would not be a concern.
jcampbell1 15y ago
That is correct. It used to be unlimited, with requests rate limited per IP/visitor to prevent abuse. It will now be 25,000 free loads per day per site, and $4 per 1000 loads after that.

gregsadetsky 15y ago

Weird. Is Google "really" interested in (aggressively) monetizing their mapping API (like MSFT, that has each department responsible for their own profitability)? Or, is this a longer term business strategy? Put up public pricing that allows them to go back to partners and say "here's the new price -- yes it's high, but it's the same for everyone"?

bradleyland 15y ago
I'd say it's not so much a play to monetize their mapping API so much as it is a way to not have everyone in the world sitting on their shoulders for free. Free is the operative word there. Free is a funny thing. It creates artificial demand. I'll give an example. I used to do independent consulting, and in the course of consulting, recommended Google Apps for email hosting, even if the client wasn't going to use Google Docs or any of the other Google Apps services. It was the best free option for email hosting around. But the fact that it was free created some problems. Most of the clients I transitioned did so at a time when mail hosts put limits on the number of mailboxes you could set up. A strange concept in today's world, but that was the status quo at the time. Clients would provide mailboxes for users and for general purpose correspondence, but they were reasonable. Once they figured out that mailboxes were free and unlimited on Google Apps (once upon a time), they'd go crazy. Soon, mailbox counts ballooned to 50 or 100 mailboxes for organizations with 15 users or less. By making their APIs free, Google creates artificial demand, which raises their costs. It's wise to implement reasonable limits.
- gregsadetsky 15y ago
  Good point regarding artificial demand. My surprise at the announcement has also partly/mostly to do with the actual pricing, which kicks in pretty fast (25k free map loads daily). It seems like a lot of small-to-medium, non-profit sites would fit into that. One example amongst many, many others: http://www.housingmaps.com/ http://www.housingmaps.com/

gregsadetsky 15y ago

Other discussions on HN: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3163509 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3163509 and http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3162352 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3162352